Governor Jared Polis Marries Longtime Partner Marlon Reis

Last week, Colorado Democratic Governor Jared Polis married Marlon Reis, his loving partner of 18 years, marking the first same-gender marriage of a sitting United States governor.

According to a statement from the governor’s office, the wedding was a traditional Jewish ceremony that took place outdoors, and every guest was required to test negative for COVID-19.

“The greatest lesson we have learned over the past 18 months is that life as we know it can change in an instant,” the newlyweds share in an Instagram post. “We are thankful for the health and wellbeing of our family and friends and the opportunity to celebrate our life together as a married couple. After 18 years, we couldn’t be happier to be married at last.”

Polis proposed to Reis last December while he was sick with COVID-19 and preparing to go to the hospital. Fortunately, he was released from the hospital after two days and made a full recovery.

The Colorado Sun reported that Polis also contracted the virus but only had minor symptoms.

In 2018, Polis became the first openly gay man ever elected governor in the U.S, and the second out, LGBTQ person elected governor, after Oregon’s Kate Brown. A decade earlier, Polis was the first openly gay man elected to the U.S. House.

In an interview with NPR, Reis admits that his husband has been the first at many things, but emphasized, “Over the course of Jared’s career in Congress, you know, we didn’t set out to be the first of anything. Things sort of happened that way.”

The couple, both in their 40s, grew up in a time same-gender marriage was never even considered a possibility in their lifetime.

“As I was growing up, marriage was not even in the realm of possibility,” Reis says. “And in fact, the reality was that there was a lot of misinformation out there about what could potentially happen if you came out—what opportunities would you lose, how it would negatively impact you. So for a long time, the idea of getting married, we didn’t talk about it.”

Polis and Reis had their wedding on a day that is personally significant to them both, the 18th anniversary of their first date, and chose the University of Colorado Boulder as the location because that is where Reis graduated from college. They are also parents to two children, both of whom were also involved with the ceremony.

Their 7-year-old daughter served as the flower girl, while their 9-year-old son was the ring bearer.

Photos Courtesy Gov. Jared Polis Facebook Page